Family
by kensi54382
Summary: Nina meets her step-sister and her extended family.
1. Chapter 1

Nina got out of the taxi at Lassiter's Hotel, waiting as the driver took her money and gave her the change. She took her suitcase and thanked him, then headed into the hotel reception, hoping that she wouldn't have the same problem as the last time she was there.

"Excuse me, ma'am, would you like some help with your luggage?"

Nina looked up and smiled at the young man in front of her. "No, it's just the one suitcase and it's not heavy. I can carry it. But thank you for the offer anyway."

"Okay. Then let me check you in and take you up to your room."

"Thank you, uh..." She looked at the name tag on the man's jacket. "Chris."

Chris smiled politely and led Nina to the front desk. "What have you booked under?"

"Nina Tucker."

Chris nodded. He had noticed who the guest was immediately, but had decided that he wouldn't say anything since he felt that she probably wouldn't want to be announced. It wouldn't take long for people to figure out that she was there anyway, so he wanted to provide as much privacy as he could.

"Okay, you're checked in. Let's go to your room." Chris grabbed a keycard from the desk and led the way to the elevator. "You're in room 150, on the third floor. I hope that's okay?"

"Of course it is. I really don't mind."

"Here we are." He unlocked the door and handed the card to Nina. "Enjoy your stay, and if there's anything you need, just let a staff member know and they will help you out."

"Thank you... Actually, there is one thing."

"Name it."

"Is Terese here today?"

"No, she's on personal leave."

"Oh, okay, that's okay. Maybe I'll see her around town."

"I can call her and see if she's okay to have a visitor if you like?"

"No, that's okay. But thank you for the offer." She knew Terese's address and wanted to go and see if she was alright, but she wasn't going to intrude. She would eventually see her around town, and that was when she would talk. For now, she wanted to go and see Lou. "What about Lou? Do you know if he's working today?"

"I think he is. At least he was when I was on my break."

"Okay, thanks. I might just drop off my stuff and then go for a walk."

Chris nodded and took his leave, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Nina found herself outside Harold's Store, staring through the window at her step-father. She didn't even notice that someone had stopped next to her and was speaking to her.

"Hey, earth to Nina, are you alright?"

Nina jumped, startled. She looked to her left and saw Karl there. A grin spread across her face as she wrapped him in a tight hug, happy to see him again.

"What brought you here this time?" Karl asked.

"Family. Lou and I were talking last week and we decided that I should come and meet my sister. Sorry, step sister."

"You know that Lauren lost her husband a few weeks ago, don't you?"

"Yeah, Lou told me. I wish I could fix it for her, it must be really hard for her and her children."

"They'll be alright. Maybe don't mention it though?"

"Of course not. What do you think I'm like, a horrible person?" laughed Nina.

Karl smiled. "Sorry, that was mean."

"It's alright. Are you coming in too? We could have a chat while we drink coffee."

"That would be nice, but I'll have to take a raincheck. I need to get to work. Can we meet up later?"

"I'm having dinner with Lou tonight, so maybe tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is great. Susan and I are both free. I'll call and tell her so we don't make other plans."

Nina nodded and gave Karl a hug. She said goodbye, then walked into the shop and up to the counter.

"Nina! You're here," smiled Lou happily.

"Yes, I just got here about an hour ago. How are you?"

"I'm good. It's been hard, but everyone is getting through it."

"I hope so. How is Lauren anyway?"

"She's better than she was before we buried Matt. She's really looking forward to meeting you, although, she doesn't actually know that you're Nina Tucker. I told her she has a step sister named Nina that I thought she should meet."

"That's okay. When do I get to meet her?"

"At dinner. Is that still okay?"

"Of course it is. I'm going to walk around for a while, maybe go see if any old friends are still around."

"Georgia and Mark are both off today, I'm sure they would love to say hi again."

Nina laughed. "They are both very lovely people Lou, but I'm sure they have other things to do."

"Believe me, they would drop everything to see you again. After they met you, all we heard was how much they love you and how amazed they were that you were so nice to them and took some time to speak to them and meet them in your hotel room."

"Yeah, speaking of which, how did they know where to find me?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"A little birdie may have mentioned it in passing..."

"Lou! I knew you and Karl were up to something that day."

"What? It gave you the confidence boost you needed, didn't it?"

"Shut-up." Nina grinned. "Thank you."

"Anytime sweetheart, anytime. Now, would you like something to eat or drink?"

"Can I get a coffee to go?"

Lou made the coffee and handed it over, taking the money Nina held out to him. "Enjoy the walk and I'll see you tonight."

"Bye Lou." Nina gave him a smile as she turned around and left the shop.


	2. Chapter 2

Nina found herself outside number thirty Ramsay Street. She had missed Toadie, and was glad that he was still in Erinsborough, although she didn't know about his injuries yet. She cleared her head and then knocked on the door, hoping he was home.

The door opened a moment later, and Nina was surprised to see her old friend there, in a wheelchair. "Toadie? What happened?" she gasped.

"Hey Nina, come on in. Would you like something to eat or drink?" asked Toadie.

Nina followed him inside. "No. Are you alright?"

"Yeah Nina, I'm okay."

"How did this happen? When did it happen?" Nina was getting more worried by the minute.

Toadie turned to look at Nina. He smiled to try and reassure her. "I had a bit of an accident a couple of months ago."

"Couple of months?!"

"Relax Nina, I'm fine. It's just a wheelchair. You're more scared than my daughter was."

"Your daughter? You have a daughter now?"

"Nell. She's almost three."

"Congratulations. But you still haven't explained how this happened."

"I was trying to rescue Nell and I got hurt in the process."

"Rescue her from where?"

"A jumping castle. We went to a family day out at her child care centre, and the castle was tied down properly. The wind was strong and picked it up just as I was trying to climb out with Nell."

"That was two months ago. How are you still in a wheelchair?"

Toadie hesitated. He thought about lying to her so she wouldn't worry more, but then realised that it was a bad idea to lie to Nina, that she would figure it out eventually and be angry with him. "I got shot a long time ago and the doctor was never able to remove the bullet. It moved when I fell and nicked the nerves along my spine, which was already fractured."

"Does that mean... Are you paralysed?"

Toadie nodded. "Just from my legs down. And I've sort of gotten used to it, so it really doesn't bother me. I still play with Nell and I still do my job. I can go out with my friends and family."

"Toadie, being unable to walk is a big deal. Why didn't you call me?"

"And tell you on the phone. No way. Besides, I have a surgery scheduled for the end of November to try and remove the bullet. If they can do that, then my spine will heal and I'll be able to walk again."

"I hope they can."

"Me too." Toadie and Nina looked up as a woman walked in. "Hi, I'm Sonya, Jarrod's wife."

"I'm Nina. Toadie and I have been friends for a while. In fact, he was the reason I became a singer in the first place."

"I thought you were familiar. You're Nina Tucker, right?"

Nina nodded. "That's me."

"How was he the reason you started singing?"

"I was singing before I met Toadie, but my career started from him. He was working at a radio station, and started a contest for 'undiscovered' talent. A friend of mine entered a song I had recorded, without my knowledge, and Toadie wanted to know who was singing it. Eventually, my friend got me up on stage and Toadie then told me that I had won the competition. He forced me," she glared at Toadie playfully, "to do a gig at a local nightclub, and I mean forced, which ended up being a good thing. If he hadn't forced me, I would never have been able to sing in public."

Sonya smiled at Toadie. "How come you never told me about this?"

"Didn't want to brag. Would you have believed me anyway?"

"Probably not..."

Both Sonya and Toadie turned at that moment, noticing that their daughter was standing there. She grinned at her parents and ran over. "Daddy."

Toadie smiled softly as he picked Nell up and sat her on his lap. "Hey pumpkin. Have you finished playing with Barbie?"

Nell nodded. She looked at Nina. "Friend?" she asked her dad.

"Nell, this is daddy's friend from a long time ago," said Sonya. "Her name is Nina. Say hello."

"Hi Nina. You know my daddy?"

"I do," said Nina. "And guess what? Your daddy is a really funny man."

Nell smiled more. She reached for Nina. "You play Barbie with me?"

Nina looked at Toadie. "Sorry sweetie, not today. I need to go. Maybe another day, okay?"

Nell nodded, seemingly unfazed. She said goodbye and then climbed off her dad to return to her room.

* * *

Ten minutes passed and then Nina said goodbye, not wishing to overstay her welcome. She told Toadie to call if they needed anything at all, and then headed out, finding herself heading towards number twenty-eight. She knocked on the door, wondering if Susan was home. She didn't have to wait long though, as the door opened almost immediately to reveal a young man, who could not be much older than Nina herself.

"May I help you?" he asked politely.

"I was looking for Susan. Is she here?"

"She's just gone to hang up some washing. Come in, I'll let her know you're here. What was your name?"

"Nina. She'll know who you're talking about."

"Okay. I'm Nate, by the way."

"Nice to meet you Nate."

"Nice to meet you too. Have a seat, and I'll let her know that she has a visitor. Would you like a drink?"

"No, thank you." Nina sat on the couch and waited, remembering fond times she had spent there when she was younger.


	3. Chapter 3

"Susan, there's a young woman named Nina in the lounge. She wants to talk to you," said Nate from the back door.

Susan looked up, her face brighter than Nate had ever seen. "Would you be able to finish up here for me?"

"Of course."

"Thank you Nate." Susan headed back inside, finding Nina on the couch. Her grin widened upon seeing her young friend. "Nina?"

"Hi Susan." Nina looked over and stood, going to hug her former principal and teacher.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were meant to be with Jack in Florence?"

"I met up with him and we finally got our boat ride down the Arno River. But we both had things to do back home, and then I decided I needed a longer break and I wanted to meet my step sister, so Lou offered to help with that."

"Lauren is going to love you, I know she is."

"I hope so. Anyway, enough about me, tell me what I've missed. I heard that Daniel was found."

"Yes. Turns out, Imogen was trying to stop him from missing the wedding and they ended up falling into an old, abandoned well. But everything's much better now. The girls are friends again. Daniel and Amber are talking again, though she and Josh are trying to get back together now that she has given birth to his child."

"I'm so happy for her. She's going to be a great mother." Nina found herself smiling.

"How are you and Jack doing?"

"We're good. We haven't gotten back together yet, but we are discussing it."

"I'm glad. I know that you two are meant to be together, it just takes time. Trust me, I know."

"Talking about yourself and Karl?"

"Maybe," said Susan with a hint of a smile. "So, are you staying for dinner?"

"No. Sorry. I'm having dinner with Lou tonight. I told Karl that I can come tomorrow though."

"Perfect. I'm making dinner and you are coming over."

Nina laughed. "Thank you Susan." She hugged her before they got to chatting for the next hour.

* * *

At ten to six, Nina said goodbye to Susan and her new friend, Nate, and left, heading for number thirty-two. She knocked on the door, holding her breath and hoping that Lou had told Lauren she was coming. She was getting nervous and was about to leave when the door opened, and the woman that she had spoken to at Harold's Store back in March came into view.

"Hi," she said with a smile. "Nina, right?"

"Yeah. Did Lou tell you I was coming?"

"He did. Come in, dinner just finished cooking. You can meet everyone when we sit down."

Nina smiled. "I'd like that."

"So, tell me, why did you decide you wanted to meet us?" It wasn't mean, just curious.

"I always wanted to meet my family. When I was here in March, and I saw you at the shop, I didn't know who you were. If I had, I would have said something. But Lou has been really great about organising for me to meet everyone."

"I'm glad. I knew I had a step sister, not that it ever occurred to me that my step sister named Nina was Nina Tucker."

"I doubt that it would occur to be honest."

"Well, either way, we now get to meet. I made a stuffed chicken. It's my daughter's favourite and since she's visiting this week, I figured she'd like it. Dad told me you're allergic to nuts, so it's stuffed with the normal things, except nuts. I hope that's alright?"

"Of course it is. Really, it's not a problem. Whatever you've made is fine." _At least I'm not the only nervous one,_ she thought to herself. "This place is really nice."

"Thank you." Lauren gave a genuine smile to that. She led Nina to the kitchen, where Lou had already gotten Amber and Paige to set the table. He was standing there, holding his great granddaughter.

"Hey sweetheart," said Lou, coming over to Nina to give her a hug.

"Hi Lou. Who's this gorgeous girl?" Nina reached out to touch the baby's hand, and she closed her fingers around Nina's index finger.

"Her name is Matilda," said Amber from behind Nina.

"She's so sweet. I'm guessing you must be Amber?"

"How did you know?"

"Matilda looks like you. She has the same facial features."

"You really think so?" Amber sounded delighted.

"I do. You are really lucky."

"Do you have children?"

"Amber!" Lauren shouted. "That is not nice."

"It's okay Lauren," said Nina quickly before turning back to Amber. "No, not yet. One day, I hope to have a couple, but not now."

"It's totally worth it. All the pain, the sleepless nights, everything." She took the baby from Lou, holding her close. "Would you like to hold her?"

"Me? Uh, maybe a little later. I think your mum is waiting for us."

Amber turned around. "Right. Sorry mum." She put the baby down in the cot near the table, where she was visible and close by if the baby needed anything.

A few minutes later, everyone was seated at the table. "Nina, this is Paige. She's my oldest child," said Lauren.

Paige smiled. "I can't believe that Nina Tucker is our aunty."

"Paige, be a little more subtle," Lou stated, even though his grin said otherwise.

"Step aunty, actually. Lauren and I are step-sisters."

"Big deal. Paige and I are step-sisters, but we call each other our sister. There's nothing 'step' about it," Amber said.

"You have a good point. I don't see any reason why we can't just call each other our sister and be done with it," said Lauren to Nina. "What do you think?"

"I'd love that. It would mean the world to me."

"Then it's settled. You and I are sisters. The girls are your nieces. And that makes Matilda your niece too, I guess."

Nina couldn't help the smile that lit her face up. She loved these people already and she had only just met them.


	4. Chapter 4

**A short chapter just to finish off. Thank you for reading!**

* * *

"Thank you for such a wonderful dinner, Lauren," said Nina as she gathered her bag to leave that night. "It was amazing."

"Anytime. If you ever want to come over, the door is open," replied Lauren. "It's so great to have a sister," she added.

"It definitely is." Nina grinned. "Listen, I know that things are rough at the moment, but once everything has settled down again, I would like it if you come to LA for a few weeks. My treat, of course. And you're welcome to bring your kids and your granddaughter."

"I think that would be lovely. I've always wanted to take the kids to Disneyland, it's just never been something we could afford. I think dad would love it."

"Lou has been so many times to LA." Nina laughed. "He's always welcome, and he knows that."

Lauren nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Nina. You are an amazing person. It's no wonder dad loved you before he even knew you."

* * *

 **Two Months Later**

Nina was excited. Lauren was coming to LA with Paige and Amber. Lou was busy, so he had agreed to watch Amber's daughter for two weeks. Nina knew that it must have been very hard for Amber to leave Matilda in another country, but she was glad that Amber would be coming too. Nina had organised for the four of them to go to Disneyland for two days, staying there overnight, of course, and she was going to take them sightseeing. Nina wanted to show them where she worked, as well, and she had a couple of surprises in store.

"Right," said Nina to herself as she looked at the clock in her living room. "Time to pick the girls up at the airport."

She grabbed her bag and phone, picked up her car keys, and headed out to pick up her new family at Los Angeles International Airport.

 **The End**


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